Garcia targets passing record

When former Cornwall star quarterback Kevin Arduino's dad, Mike, calls him at college, they usually talk a little Section 9 football.

Justin Rodriguez

When former Cornwall star quarterback Kevin Arduino's dad, Mike, calls him at college, they usually talk a little Section 9 football.

Of course, dad starts with an update on Cornwall. But over the last few weeks, Mike Arduino has been segueing quickly to his son's Section 9 record for passing yards in a season (2,481) – a record that's in jeopardy of being broken.

Warwick senior quarterback John Garcia, a gunslinger who would make Arduino proud, needs 135 yards to break Arduino's mark set in 2008 when he was the Varsity845 and state Class A Player of the Year.

Arduino, starting at quarterback as a redshirt freshman at Division II American International College in Springfield, Mass., is fine with it.

"I'm happy for him, I'm happy for the section. It's good to see that Section 9 football is still going good," said Arduino, who spent a year at Trinity-Pawling School in Dutchess County before arriving to AIC. "I heard he was good, that Warwick had another good quarterback. I'd just congratulate him, it's good to see him do better."

Garcia said he started thinking about the record three weeks ago when coaches and a Times Herald-Record reporter mentioned it to him.

Warwick (5-3) will play Kingston (5-3) in the Section 9 Class AA playoff semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Warwick beat the Tigers 42-34 on Sept. 9 behind 423 passing yards and five touchdowns from Garcia.

"It's cool and I think it's definitely a goal I can reach," said Garcia, who has 22 touchdowns and four interceptions this year. "But I want to win the game. So it's win the game, get the record. That would be the best of both worlds."

Garcia said he was happy to have the support of Arduino, who has been named the Northeast-10 rookie of the week four times this season. A threat to run and pass, he's helped AIC (4-4) put up an average of 26.8 points per game this fall. Arduino has rushed for 613 yards and nine touchdowns, passing for 1,389 yards with another seven scores.

"Getting the rookie of the week all those times has been pretty cool," Arduino said. "I'm happy with the way I've been playing. I'm getting better and better each week. I've made some mistakes, but I don't use the freshman excuse. My coaches and teammates are developing more and more confidence in me, so I'm happy about that."